WHEAT GERM

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXVII, Issue 23759, 12 September 1940, Page 11

WHEAT GERM

USE IN WHITE BREAD

INSTITUTE'S PROCESS FURTHER EXPLANATION GIVEN [BY TELEGRAPH —PRESS ASSOCIATION] WELLINGTON, Wednesday "The reception by the press and interested individuals has been very gratifying, and much useful criticism has been received," said the Minister in charge of the Scientific and Industrial Research Department, the Hon. I). G. McMillan, referring to the newprocess evolved by the Wheat Research Institute for the manufacture of -white bread containing the wheat germ. -The Minister added it was apparent from some inquiries received that there was some misconception in regard to the nature and purpose of the process, and the steps being taken to put it into practical operation. "The novelty of the institute's process has been questioned," said the Minister. "There is nothing new about adding vitamins to flour or bread, but there is everything new about adding vitamins or the natural substance containing them in such a way that the palatability and keeping qualities of bread are not affected." Wholemeal flour contained the wheat germ, Dr. McMillan added, but bread made from it was unpalatable to mainpeople. The Morris Mills process of America was quite different from the New Zealand one. It probably could not be operated with New Zealand wheats, required special expensivemachinery, and was heavily protected by patents. Furthermore, it gave bread containing very much less wheat germ than the New Zealand process made possible. More recently, a synthetic vitamin B1 was being added to bread in Britain. Valuable as this was in Britain, the use of the wheat germ by the New Zealand process had many advantages. An essential distinguishing feature of the Wheat Research Institute's process was in the prefermentation of the wheat germ with the yeast before addition to the flour. It gave a loaf of fine texture, good appearance, palatable taste, and a content of 10 per cent of wheat germ, compared with 2 per cent in wholemeal —not that it was intended to replace wholemeal, which had other qualities of its own. The formulae for the new bread had been supplied in bulletin form to all bakers. Some mills already had supplies of wheat germ in stock. Several others had made preliminary runs, and could start production at a day's notice.